Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury Elected First Female Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Elected

Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury is now one of the three women in four of the highest political positions in Bangladesh. The country is predominantly Muslim and due to traditionalist beliefs there are many obstacles to advancement for women in general. However, despite the daunting challenges, a number of women have managed to work their way to the very top. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina is a woman and Khaleda Zia, the leader of the opposition and former Prime Minister is female as well.

Ms. Chowdhury will replace Former Prime Minister Abdul Hamid who has assumed the responsibilities of the presidency when Zillur Rahman, the incumbent died.

The election

This recent development is historic indeed. Aside from being the first woman speaker, Ms. Chowdhury is also the youngest to hold the position. Her election was unanimous. The opposition party, the BNP or Bangladesh Nationalist Party is currently boycotting Parliament and so Chowdhury’s election was uncontested. Today, there are a total of 300 seats in the Bangladeshi Parliament and 50 of these are allotted for women. Currently, members of the ruling party occupy a majority of these seats.

Ms. Chowdhury, the international secretary of the Awami League (AL) was nominated on Monday night by the ruling party for the position that she eventually won. Her election is unprecedented and is the first of its kind in the history of Bangladesh.

Protection of women

The new Speaker of Parliament is 46 years old and holds a doctorate from Essex University in the United Kingdom on human rights and constitutional laws. She graduated from Dhaka University. She said in an interview that her priority to date is to protect Bangladeshi women from all forms of violence. She elaborated that laws to protect women are in place, but there is a persistent need for a change in the mindset of the people of the country.

Prior to this appointment, Ms. Chowdhury served as the Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs. During her term in the ministry, Ms. Chowdhury worked for policy change in order to promote the development of women. Islamist groups denounced this policy that she has put forward.

A political novice

However, the appointment of Ms. Chowdhury to the Speakership has not been received well by many of those in government. The leaders of the Awami League consider Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury a political novice and were not necessarily happy at the endorsement made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Ms. Chowdhury entered into politics only in 2009. At that time she was chosen to fill a seat in Parliament – one of the 50 reserved for women.

Threat of protest

The election of another woman in a top political post in Bangladesh has already elicited outrage and protest from religious schools or “madrasas” all over the country. Islamist groups have been very vocal about what they deem to be “un-Islamic” laws such as the one on women’s development spearheaded by the new Speaker a couple of years ago. The groups say that they will mobilize people in a protest rally on Sunday.